Razor sharpener



vTo all whom it may concern:

' lower pulley Patented Oct. 6, 1925.

UNITED- STATES WILLIAM IE. BET MANN,

or JBUFFALO. NEw Yonx.

RAZOR sHAnrENEa.

Application filed December 2 1921. Serial No. 523,977.

- Be it known that I, WILLIAM F. BET-H- MANN, a cltizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Buffalo, in the'county of Erie and 5 State of NewYork, have invented new and useful Improvements in Razor Sharpeners, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates -to a machine for sharpening straight edge razorsand the blades of safety razors and the like. f

One of the objects ofthe invention is to provide an efficient machineofthis character which is capable of Working simultaneously on bothsides of the cutting edge of the blade to expedite the sharpeningoperation.

Another object is to provide a machine the razor blade to its properangle or contourp I A further object is to provide the machine withmeans for supportlng and guiding the razor as it is reciprocated acrossthe sharp- Qening devices.

Still further objects of the invention are I to providea razor sharpenerwhich is simple an compact in construction, which is'not liable toget-out of order, and whichcan be manufactured ata moderate cost.

Inthe accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a side elevation of theimprovement. Figure 2 is atransverse vertical section on line 2-2,Fig. 1. Figure 3 isan 1 enlarged transverse section on line 33, Fig. 1

1. Figure 4: is an enlarged horizontal. section on line l i, Fig.1.Figure 5 is an enlarged vertical section on line 55, Fig. 2. Figure 6 isa perspective view of a type of holder used in connection withsharpeningsafety razor blades by this machine.

Similar charactersof reference indicate corresponding parts throughoutthe several views. v V .The working: parts of mounted on a base 10 andan upright frame 11 arrangedlat one end; of the base.

' Arranged side by side within this frame arev one oramore. pairs ofendless parallel;

strops or belts 12,.13 made of leather 'or, other similar flexiblematerial, one strop of .each pair passing around acomparatively largerupper pulley 14 and around alsmall 15, while the companion strop 'passesaround a small upper pulley 16 andv larounda comparatively large lowerpulley the machine are Istrops 17. The-upper pulleys14, 16 are mountedon ahorizontal I shaft 18 journaled in the upper end of the frame 11,and the lower pulleys v15, 17 are mounted on a similar shaft 19suitably'journaled "in the lower endof said frame. This arrangement.results in the straight stretchesof thestrops of each pair beinginclined in opposite directions or crossingeach other edgewise to form asub- .gstant'ially V-shaped throat or crotch 20 at, a point between'theaxes of, the pulley shafts 18 and 19,.as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. The

razor blade 21 to be sharpened is held in a substantiallyhorizontalposition andis reciprocated crosswise of and betweenthe 0pposlng 1nnerand outer faces of the ,com-

which automatically sharpens the edge of panion strops of each pair withits cutting edge seated in the respective throats 20.

Any suitablemeans may be employed for transmittingmotion to the shafts18 and 19 to move the strops,12,.13 in the same direction and at thesame speed. As shown in the drawings. however, these means preferablyconsist of an electric motor 22 mounted on, the base 10 and having itsshaft 23 connected with the lower pulley shaft 19 by a suitable couplingsleeve 24. 1 Mounted onthe opposite end of said lower shaft and thecorcause the several. strops to travel at the same speed,.one of thepulleys of each strop is fixed 'on'its; shaft while the other is looselymounted on its shaft, whereby all of the large pulleys 14,17 or all ofthe small pulleys 1'5, 16 are directly driven by thBlIfTGSPGCiJlVGshafts In the drawings, the large pulleys are shown fixed to theirshafts by set screws 27,, while the small pulleys: are "loosely mounted.on said shafts.

' By .Ithis arrangelower-pulleys, 17 .fixedon the shaft 19 connected.with the-motor shaft,23, while the 12are=drivenby the large upperpulleys 14' fixed on the shaft 18 which is driven at the, same speed assaid shaft '19 through: the medium ofthe transmission belt 26.

As indicated by'the arrows in Fig. 3, the pulleys are driven in acounter-clockwise direction to. move the strops downwardly toward thecutting edge ofthe razor blade.

responding end of the upper pulley shaftlS j are equalizing pulleys 25around which a ment. the strops l3 are driven by the'large;

The upper pulley shaft 18 is preferably mounted in self-adjustingbearing blocks 28 which are mounted in Vertical guideways 29 arranged inthe upper side portions of the frame 11, as shown in Figs. 2 and 5.Interposed between the bottoms of these bearing blocks and the opposingends of the guideways are springs 30 which constantly tend to raise saidblocks and the shaft to keep the strops taut.

Any suitable means may be employed for supporting the razor as it isreciprocated across the opposing faces of adjacent strops and also forlimiting its stroke in either direction. The preferred means foraccomplishing this result are shown in'the drawings and are'constructedas follows:

Arranged on one sideof the frame 11 between the upper'and lower pulleyshafts is avertical guide tube 31 which may be attached to said frame byscrews 32 and which is provided in its front side with an uprightopening 33. Yieldingly supported in this guide tube'is a plunger34'provided with a horizontal rest pin 35which is located substantiallyin transverse alinement with the throats 20 and which extends forwardlythrough the opening 33 in said tube, as shown in Figs.' 1,2 and 4.Interposed 'between'the plunger and a pin 36 in the lower end of theguide tube is a comparatively light coil'spring 37, which, when it isexpanded or'normal position, shown in Fig. 1, permits the plunger toassume a position near the upper end of its tube so that the pin 35 islocated a suitable distance above the bottom of the throats 20 producedby the intersecting strops 12,13. The shank 38 of the razor is adaptedto rest on said pin 35 as it is reciprocated manually across theopposing faces'of the strops. The other side of 'theframe is providedwith a plate 39' which may be secured thereto in any suitable manner,and which is provided at one edge With a forwardly-projecting uprightstop flange 40 located in the path of travel of the razor and adapted tolimit its movement in one direction. The extent of movement of the razorin the opposite direction is limited by the pin 35 against which the endof the razor adjacent its shank is adapted toabut, as shown in Fig. 1.

In the operation of this .r azorsharpener, assuming the strops to be inmotion, the razor is inserted between the'opposing inner and outer facesof the pairs of oppositely inclined strops with its cutting edge seatedin the V-shaped throats 20 formed by adjacent. strops andits shankresting on the pn35 of the .yieldable plunqer34. The razor is then movedmanually back and forth across these strops which automatically adjustthemselves to the cutting edge of the razor and which operate onopposite sides of its cutting edge from end to end removed by simplylifting its inner end clear-of the supporting pin and withdrawing it'fron between the strops.

'If'desired, the strops may be provided with a suitable sharpeningcompound on their working faces. I

In sharpening a! razor with this device no honing is required and thesharpening and stropping are accomplished 'in one and the sameoperation. Furthermore, the intersecting strops operate simultaneouslyand adjust themselves automatically on both sides of the cutting edge ofthe razor, thereby materially expediting the sharpening of the razor.

This machine is also capable of sharpening the detachable blades ofsafety razors by providing a suitable holder'for receiving them. Oneform of holder which may be employed is. shown in Fig. 6, and comprisesa pair of spring-pressed jaws 41. 42, pivoted together midway of theirwidth by a rod 43. One of the jaws is provided with a handle 44 forreciprocating the holder and its blade across the faces of the strops.

I claim as my invention:

1. A razor-sharpener, comprising a frame, and a pair of travelingstropping belts arranged side by side in said frame, said belts havingstraight, flexible stretches inclined in oppo's'ite'd'irections andcrossing each other edgevvise'thereof to form an angular throat betweenthem for receiving the cutting edge of a razor. V

2. A razor sharpener, comprising a" frame,

opposing pairs ofpulleys mounted on said frame, the pulleys of eachfpairbeing in spaced relation and a pair of endless stroppingmembers'passingaround said pulleys and crossing each other at apointbetween them.

3. A .razor sharpener, comprising a'frame, a plurality of alternatelyarranged large and small pulleys mounted at opposite'en ds of said.frame, each small pulley being arranged opposite one of said largepulleys, and endless stropping members each passing around an opposingset of said largeand small pulleys. V V

4. A razor-sharpener, comprising a frame, upper and'lower pairs of largeand small pulleys mounted in said frame, each small pulley beingarrangedopposite one of said large pulleys. and a pair of endlessstropping members, one passing around the large upper and the smalllower pulley of a pair, and the other of said members passing around thesmall upper and the large lower pulley of the other pair.

5. A razor-sharpener, comprising a frame, upper and lower shaftsjournaled in said frame, a pair of large and small pulleys mounted oneach of said shafts, one pulley of each pair being fixed on its shaftand the other being 'loose, endless stropping members passing aroundsaid pulleys, and means for driving said shafts to move said members inthe same direction and at the same speed.

6. A razor-sharpener, comprising a frame, upper and lower shaftsjournaled in said frame, one of said shafts being mounted inself-adjusting bearings, a pair of pulleys mounted on each of saidshafts, and a pair of endless stropping members passing around saidpulleys, said members crossing each other at a point between the axes ofsaid shafts,

7. A razor-sharpener, comprising a frame, a pair of movable stroppingmembers arranged side by side in said frame, said stropping membersincluding straight stretches which cross each other edgewise thereof,forming an angular stropping throat between them, and means on saidframe for guiding and limiting the extent of movement of the razor as itis reciprocated lengthwise across the working faces of said stroppingmembers.

8. A razor-sharpener, comprising a frame, a pair of movable stroppingmembers arranged side by side in said frame, said stropping membersincluding straight stretches which cross each other edgewise thereof,forming an angular stropping throat between them, and a yieldablerazorsupport on said frame at one side of the stropping members, saidsupport yieldingly resisting movement of the razor toward the apex ofthe throat.

9. A razor-sharpener, comprising a frame, a pair of movable stroppingmembers arranged side by side in said frame, said members includingstraight stretches which cross each other edgewise thereof to form anangular throat between them for receiving a razor, a yieldable razorsupport on one side of said frame for yieldingly resisting movement ofthe razor toward the apex of said throat, said support being constructedto limit the movement of the razor in one direction as it isreciprocated across the working faces of said stropping-members, and astop-member on the opposite side of said frame for limiting the movementof the razor in the opposite direction.

10. A razor-sharpener, comprising a frame, a pair of movable stroppingmembers mounted in said frame to form an angular throat between them forreceiving a razor, and means on said frame for guiding, and limiting theextent of movement of the razor as it is reciprocated across the workingfaces of said stropping members, comprising a tubular member mounted onone side of said frame, a plunger yieldingly supported in said tubularmember and having a pin thereon, and a stop-member on the opposite sideofsaid frame arranged in the path of movement of the razor. V

11. A razor-sharpener, comprising a frame, a pair of movable stroppingmembers arranged side by side in said frame and crossing each otheredgewise to form an angular throat between them for receiving a razor,and a yieldable support on said frame with which the razor shank isadapted to engage, said support being substantially in transversealinement with said throat and located at one side of the stroppingmembers.

WILLIAM F. BETHMANN.

